by Pamela Kent
ing occasionally. Just say Aat I was very clumsy just now, and let it go at Aat."
^ She looked at him a trifle whimsically, but with a fascinating softness at Ae comers of her mouA, and responded sweetly to his request. '
"As you say, darling," she murmured as if she was actu
ally trying to humour him, and Aen turned once more to
Romilly. "You were telling me just now that you received some other invitation?" she said in an enquiring voice. Once more Romilly was prevented from making a straightforward reply.
"Miss Styles and Mr. Allerton are very good friends," Julius Crighton remarked, with obviously no intention of permitting Romilly to mak" revelations he quite plainly
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preferred should not be made. To her astonishment he continued suavely: "They made Ae trip up Ae Nile togeAer, and that being Ae case I Aought Aey would like to be togeAer during a visit to this house. In fact, I felt very strongly Mr. Allerton would never forgive me if 'I omitted
to ask his charming friend to accompany him when I first suggested he might care for a short period of relaxation at Dar el Pace.... Is that not so, Mr. Allerton?"
Martin AUerron, looking suddenly very gratified indeed because his name had been publicly coupled with Romilly's, flushed slightly in a pleased manner and agreed wiA enAusiasm Aat Aat was indeed Ae case.
"Yes, as a matter of fact you did say someAing about
Romilly coming along as well," he admitted. "Although I Aought at Ae time that was too much to hope for, because I knew she had plans of her own. But it seems I was to be lucky after all, and when I got here here she was! I don't mind telling you I was jolly glad you were able to persuade her. You'll have to pass on to me your particular meAod of dealing with independent young women!"
"Oh, as to that, I have no particular method," Ae Bey returned quietly. His dark eyes met Romilly's. "At least, not one Aat I would advise you to try out yourself!"
She gazed back at him in astonishment, behind which was an unwilling admiration for his cool effrontery. And at Ae same time she was considerably puzzled by his deliberate linking of her name wiA Martin Allerton's... which also had Ae effect of annoying her quite consider
�ably. And was not, as she realised, particularly flattering, since ' there had been odd moments during their brief acquaintance when he had actually come perilously close to attracting her in a way no oAer man she had met had never had Ae power to attract her.
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She felt herself colouring rather vividly wiA uncontrol
lable resentment, and she coloured still more when she saw
him smiling wiA a kind of cool amusement, as if her in
ability to conceal her swift reaction to his behaviour was a
source of entertainment to him.
She bit her lip and looked away, and he moved swiftly
towards her and smiled at her wiA flashing teeA.
"Do let me give you something to drink. Miss Styles,"
h" said. "What would you like? There is'everyAing here-"
"NoAing, Aank you," she replied with curtness, and he
studied her silently for a few moments, and Aen turned
away.
At dinner he was Ae same excellent host Aat he had been
at lunch, but, perhaps because Mrs. Mortimer was now one
of his guests, he seemed to put himself out to be even more
attentive and urbane. It was quite clear to Romilly by Ais
time - and, strangely enough, she had received quite a dif
ferent impression of Ae effect Ae two had upon' one an
other when she saw Aem togeAer for the first time at Mrs. Mortimer's roof-top party - Aat a bond united Ae handsome man and Ae beautiful woman who could boA trace Aeir ancestry back to Ae kings and queens of Ancient Egypt. It had actually affected her rather like a shock when she saw Leah smiling into his eyes, and perhaps even before Aat, when she heard Aem laughing together, she had felt Strangely, curiously dismayed. And there was no reason why she should feel dismay ... none whatsoever, as she told herself quite fiercely as she sat at the Bey's flowerdecked dinner-table and refused course after course because she really had no appetite, and Ae sight of Mrs. Mortimer in her shimmering blue gown, with some priceless antique jewellery at her neck and about her wrists, betraying with every movement she made, and every word she uttered in her clear, bell-like voice, how incapable she was of appear
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ing gauche and awkward even for a second, and how much of sheer perfection there was about her, affected her like an adverse comment on herself.
Even Martin Allerton, as the meal progressed, seemed to become mildly hypnotised by Mrs. Mortimer.... And by Ae time Aey were ready to wiAdraw for coffee and liqueurs he actually seemed to be under a spell. It appeared
she knew America very well, and had even visited his home town, and it was quite touching to see Ae way he reacted to her kindly comments on Ae old-world charm of his birthplace. Any revelations he had made to Romilly about his way of life "back home", his parents and anything else connected with him were quite uninformative-by comparison wiA Aose he made to Leah, wiA her long-lashed, slanting eyes, and her inviting, smiling lips. And after a time even Ae host seemed to recognise Aat Ae burden of conversation was likely to rest wiA Ae oAer two for ^ quite some time once they were comfortably established in the relaxed atmosphere of Ae room where Aey had had drinks before dinner, and he looked meaningly across at Romilly and suggested she might like a walk in Ae outer courtyards
before retiring for Ae night. "I don't know how you feel about exercise," he remarked, "but in a climate such as Ais one is inclined to avoid it rather stringently during Ae daytime. I personally like a breath of night air before going to bed." Romilly had the distinct impression Aat Mrs. Mortimer shot a sharp and raAer curious look at him; and as if he was perfectly well aware of it he bent and patted her lightly - on Ae silken smoothness of her nearest shoulder before opening Ae glass doors for Romilly. "Do extract all the information you can from Mr. Allerton about America," he said. "You never know, you might want to revisit it again fairly soon!" 110
She seemed to tighten her lips and Ae lovely eyes grew momentarily cold - and Aen sparkled like diamonds. She put back her shining head and laughed up at him, displaying all her even, perfect little teeA.
"True," she agreed. "Who knows? ... I might feel Ae urge to visit America again quite soon!"
Outside, in Ae darkness of Ae courtyards, Romilly found she would be doing an unwise Aing if she acted on impulse and Arew off her host's hand when it settled about her elbow with Ae intention of preventing her from losing her footing in Ae dark. The garden courts, Aat in daylight were a blaze of colour and a delight to the eye, were full of an inky blackness Aat actually brought her up short with a faint murmur of alarm when she first put an uncertain toe into Aem. Behind her was Ae glowing warmA of Ae room Aey had left, and in front noAing but a black abyss into which she feared to tread, alAough it was full of Ae soft tinkling of the fountains and heady with Ae perfume of'Ae flowers hidden by Ae forbidding canopy of Ae night.
Julius Crighton heard her small cry of alarm and tightened his hold on her bare arm. She heard him laugh softly, very close to her ear.
"You are frightened?" he said. "But Aere is noAing to be frightened of, because Ae moon will rise in another ten minutes or so, and it will be bright as day where we are standing now."
Romilly said something nervously about always having a kind of fear of Ae dark, and his hand deserted her arm and went round her until it was clasping her shoulder. He advised her to stand perfectly still until the moon rose, and alAough it seemed to her slightly ridiculous to remain absolutely still with Ae blackness lapping about them in
strange, sensuous waves, bats fluttering past Aeir ears wiA
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little, shrill cries and the unseen spray from Ae nearest fountain settling upon Aem like dew, she neverAeless took his advice and remained slim and moti
onless in Ae hold of his arm, wondering whether he realised his proximity was embarrassing to her, for she could actually feel Ae beat of his heart as he pressed her very slightly against him, and the extraordinarily attractive masculine "perfume of him - which had disturbed her before - seemed to make a kind of deliberate assault upon her nostrils, wiA the result Aat she began to feel weak at the knees. And her voice had very little confidence in it when she spoke again.
"You are lucky to have such a charming house. But isn't it raAer cut off...? I mean, no one could find you here
unless they knew that you actually lived here!" He laughed again, a deep, soft, masculine laugh. "But perhaps my main purpose in creating a hideaway
like Ais for myself was in order to spare myself Ae boredom of having people call upon me," he suggested.
"But you like people.... I mean, oAerwise why did you invite Martin and myself and Mrs. Mortimer to stay wiA you?" And Aen she felt it necessary to correct herself. "At least, you didn't invite me in Ae normal sense! ... You de
coyed me!"
"True. But I know Leah very well, and she is always good company, and Ae young man, Martin, was intended to make up the numbers. Three would have been an awk
ward number, whereas four has a certain tidiness about it." "And I gather you imagine he is of some interest to me, and I to him?"
"Well! ..." She relt his fingers gently smoothing Ae soft skin of her shoulder, and she also felt her knees grow weaker and wished he would either stop or Aeir relationship was not quite what it was. "Well, it did strike me you were getting along very well during your Nile steamer trip,
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and it actually did occur to me Aat you might find him
attractive. He is quite a nice young American, and you are
a nice young English girl... and Egypt is a romantic coun
try! I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't even decide to Aink seriously of him!"
"Can't you?" Abruptly she moved away from him, and was lucky because Ae moon sailed into view at Aat moment, appearing above Ae high courtyard wall, caught up in the branches of a palm tree that was silvered by Ae flood of light Aat suddenly poured over it. "Thank you," she said stiffly, "but I am capable of enjoying a young man's company wiAout wanting to marry him, if that's what you mean by deciding to Aink seriously of him!"
Julius Crighton smiled ... and although she didn't see him smile, she knew that he did.
"What else would I mean?" he asked her. "A charming young woman like you, with moonbeams in her hair and Ae prettiest frock I have seen for a long time.... Tell me, why do you dress so much in pale colours, and why do they suit you so well that I feel you must be very clever! Leah is a creature of brightness and light, and would look insipid dressed as you dress. But you -"
"I am well aware Aat, by comparison with Mrs. Mortimer, you must Aink me very insipid," she interrupted in the same stiff tones. "But I would prefer it if you didn't attempt to make comparisons between us."
"Why not?" he asked, as if he was genuinely interested.
-"Because she is very obviously a close friend of yours, and I am no more Aan an acquaintance." She didn't know why she made such a remark, but his description of Leah "a creature as of brightness and light" annoyed her, for no better reason Aan that if one was insipid � and the insinuation was certainly there - one could hardly ever hope to be Aought of as brilliant and beautiful. And although she
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knew perfectly well she was neiAer brilliant nor beautiful, she had always prided herself on having a certain fairly strong feminine appeal. "Besides," she added, "from your point of view I must be fairly insipid. I'm very English, and you have, I believe - so also has Mrs. Mortimer! quite an exdting mixture of blood in your veins."
He was silent for raAer a long moment, and she wondered wheAer she ^had gone too far. And Aen he said quietly:
"Not such a very exciting mixture. I have a certain amount of Egyptian blood, but I also am very English."
"Are you?" She looked up at him quickly, surprised, and saw Aat his dark eyes were gazing down at her very Aoughtfully in Ae moonlight. "You mean, you Aink like an Englishman? Your reactions are English?"
"Some of Aem. I believe I had a great grandmother who was partly Arab and partly French, so if my reactions are not entirely English on every possible occasion you will have to forgive me!"
He took her, quite gently, by Ae arm again, and led her towards Ae entrance to Ae next courtyard. "Come wiA me and I will show you something Aat you will remember," he said.
They walked - Ae small heels of her silver sandals tap- tapping beside him - Arough Ae flower-filled courts until they reached a door in a toweringly high wall, through which he led her. On Ae oAer side of Ae door a stretch of rocky desert sloped in the moonlight to the bright curve of a river, and it was only suddenly that she realised Aat it was Ae Nile again. She drew a swift breaA of pleasure, for she had grown quite fond of the Nile during her trip to Luxor - and she knew she would always remember the wonderful sunsets and dawns Aat transformed its banks into a fairyland.
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Just now Ae hour was. fairly late, but Ae late-rising moon still had a slightly orange look about it, and Ae open stretch of desert was tawny-gold raAer Aan silver, and Ae palm fronds black against the purplish-blueness of the sky. She could see mud-walled buildings, grouped closely togeAer, and one particularly tall, sentinel-like palm tree rising out of an oasis of leaves and reaching for Ae stars.
As she stood Aere, with the shifting sand of Ae desert beneaA her feet, a cool desert wind fanning her face and lifting Ae ends of her hair, a tiny thrill stole like a vibration along her spine, for somewhere in that Aicket of green leaves enclosing a well where the village women fetched their water in Ae daytime someone was playing a flute, or some instrument which sounded like a flute, and Ae plaintive wail of it rose up like a cry in Ae night and carried clearly across Ae intervening space to Ae spot where Ae man and Ae girl were standing.
Romilly spoke impulsively. "Oh, but Aat's beautiful! I love it! ...Is it a young man serenading his girl-friend ? "
"It could be. But in this country it's much more likely to be a young man quite alone simply enjoying himself. A shepherd, playing on his favourite pipe."
"It's exciting."
"You find it so?"
"Oh, yes," she assured him, her eyes big in the delicate oval of her face, her soft lips falling -a little apart. "Very exciting."
"And perhaps Ae most exciting thing about it is that it's been going on for centuries, that simple form of entertainment. And Ae player is entertaining himself, of course, alAough to Western ears Ae music may sound curious. Would you like to walk over to the village?"
She answered immediately and eagerly;
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"Yes, please!" Once more he took her possessively by the arm, and Aey walked forward over a raAer stony track to Ae shining band of Ae river, and Ae cluster of date palms.
There was no one Aere when Aey reached the palms, and Ae music of Ae pipe had ceased before they had covered half Ae distance. But Romilly found it strangely fascinating strolling in Ae dark alleyways- between the silent houses, and beneaA Ae lightly swaying feaAery fronds of Ae palms, while Ae moon climbed higher and higher in Ae sky, and Ae air grew sharp and cool, as if wiA Ae approach of dawn, alAough dawn was still a long way off.
Romilly doubted whether she could have avoided missing her footing occasionally and stumbling in the dark if her host's arm had not provided her wiA so much support; and as he was considerate enough not to wiAdraw Aat support even when it was no longer needed and they were standing on Ae bank of Ae river watching the shining curve of it and Ae moon-baAed mystery of Ae farther shore, she was in little danger of turning one of her slender ankles even Aough her shoes were by no means suitable for such an excursion. And despite Ae absolute silence around them, and Ae raAer frightening loneliness - in fact, Romilly would have found it terrifying if she had been forced to experience it alone, or even
in Ae company of Martin Allerton, who was no more accustomed to such a setting Aan she was - Ae fact Aat Crighton disregarded it entirely as he asked her questions about herself and her home life seemed to rob it of all its sinister overtones, and for the first time since she had met him she" found herself becoming quite expansive on Ae subject of her own rather ordinary way of life.
The fact that he was hardly impressed showed immediately, and she saw his dark eyebrows rise into slightly
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questioning arcs, and Aere was a puzzled expression in his extraordinary eyes as he gazed down at her.
"And so much dullness and mediocrity has helped to produce you," he said, as if. that in itself was remarkable "I am not surprised now Aat you seized Ae opportunity to inspect your aunt's property as soon as it was made known to you Aat it had become yours, even although it meant coming all Ais way by yourself. The women of my world would not have done so .... at least, not wiAout some sort of escort or companion."
"Not even Mrs. Mortimer?" she enquired, wiA a slight edge to her voice. "Mrs. Mortimer is a widow, and in any case slightly older Aan you are. She is also a great traveller." "Why did you think she might be visiting America shortly?" she asked curiously. He frowned, his hand still caressing her shoulder.
"Because Aere is one excellent reason why she might do so.... But we will not go into Aat now," he replied. "Before you leave here we will go into it, but not tonight!"
"You are very mysterious," Romilly said quietly. "In
fact, I find you very, very mysterious!"
"Do you?"
"Yes. And sometimes I wonder why my aunt claimed you as such a close friend. Do you think she ... altogether understood you?"
There was silence between them for a full half minute, and then he enquired with a certain dryness and coolness: "Does Aat mean you personally have very grave doubts about me? And, shall we say, my - respectability?"
"No ... of course not!"
"But I did break into your house ... remember? And there is all that mixed blood in my veins which you love to talk about! And I did decoy you here!" 117